Izaac Titsingh (1744?-1812), a physician by training, was appointed to the post of head of the Dutch factory in Nagasaki in 1779. His first spell of duty lasted a mere fourteen months, during which time he was received in audience by the shogun Ieharu in Edo. A brief return to Europe was followed by a second spell of duty beginning in 1781, which included another visit to Edo.
It was chiefly during his two journeys to and from Edo that the author collected material for his book. The work is divided into two parts, of which the first is concerned mainly with the shogun and his pedigree and with the way of life at his court. The second part treats of wedding and burial customs and of the so-called "dosha powder." The latter is of particular interest to the student of religious practices in the Edo period.
The present volume is of the first English edition of 1822, translated from the French by Frederic Shoberl.